Letting Your Hair Down
by Tigerlily06
Summary: Horatio reveals a different side of himself as he teaches Speed a lesson on appearances being deceiving.


"H," Speed sighed as he slipped on his bike. "You need to loosen up and have a bit of fun."

"I do?" Horatio countered with an eyebrow quirked in wry amusement.

"Yeah," Speed replied with his trademark cheeky grin. "Nice tailored suits, sensible vehicle and long hours make for a very dull person."

"To each his own, Speed," Horatio quietly replied. "Now, you have a good evening."

"You too, H," Speed said, knowing he may not have convinced Horatio of his argument. He did know that he had given the older man something to consider and that was the true nature of their relationship.

Horatio watched Speed ride away thinking it was time he gave his Trace expert a bit of a shock.

&/&/&

The next morning, Speed parked his bike next to an older model Harley silently wondering who it belonged to. He slid off his bike and checked it out since he had a few minutes to spare before work.

He ghosted a hand over it admiring the outline of it. The chrome shined in the early morning sunlight and nicely complimented the black. He would bet a month's pay that it would be an awesome ride.

It looked well maintained, but nothing on it indicated who the owner might be. With his curiosity piqued, he walked into the lab planning to make discreet inquiries until he found the owner.

&/&/&

Horatio stood in his office looking out the windows that overlooked the front of the lab. He sipped on his first cup of coffee of the day enjoying the sight Speed presented.

He noted the younger man's admiration of the Harley. But, he was amused by the consternation that twisted Speed's lips into a frown.

It was going to be a good day.

&/&/&

Morning progressed into afternoon. The lab was a quiet beehive of activity as Horatio let his team take most of the calls as he caught up on a backlog of paperwork. It was his firm belief that the world revolved on paperwork despite scientific evidence to the contrary.

Horatio was busy reading a report when a quick knock on his open office door followed by a, "Hey H, you got a minute?" caused him to look up.

"Yes, Speed," he replied, looking over the rims of his reading glasses at the young man. He had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from chuckling at Speed's open mouth reaction to his attire. "What can I do for you?"

"Ummm..." Speed stammered. He never thought he would ever see Horatio Caine out of his tailored suits.

"Yes?"

"I did I miss the memo on it being casual day, today?" Speed remarked. He knew he was grasping at straws and sounding really pathetic in the process.

"Not that I'm aware of," Horatio commented, enjoying the conflict of emotions that raced across Speed's face before he got control of himself.

"So…"

"Have you ever tried to ride a motorcycle in a tailored suit?" Horatio asked as his lips twisted into an amused smirk.

"The Harley is yours?"

"Yes."

"Oh, you're good," Speed breathed. His discreet inquiries into the owner of the Harley hadn't born any fruit except a dinner invitation from Alexx, which he had gladly accepted since he was getting tired of take-out.

"Am I?" Horatio quipped as tossed the file folder onto the small table in front of him. He removed his glasses and placed them on top of the folder.

"Yeah."

"How so?"

"In all the years I have known you, I would have never taken you for a Hell's Angel," Speed explained, grasping the first thought that entered his gibbering brain. He was still having a hard time dealing with Horatio dressed in a dark blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal tan forearms, faded jeans and cowboy boots.

"Just because I own a Harley doesn't make me a Hell's Angel, Speed," Horatio countered with a wry chuckle. He had succeeded all too well in giving Speed a shock. "So what can I do for you?"

"Ummm...yeah," Speed mumbled. He scrubbed at his face trying to get his brain to focus on the reason he had come looking for Horatio in the first place. "I've got some conflicting evidence and I needed your opinion on it."

"Certainly," Horatio said standing up, happy to be doing something other than paperwork. "I need to get out of here for a little bit. This stuff is giving me a headache."

&/&/&

Horatio followed Speed to the lay-out room where they re-examined Speed's conflicting evidence. Horatio gave Speed a few possible avenues to try before deciding to call it a day.

"Don't stay too late," he advised the younger man.

"I'm not going to," Speed answered. He finished putting the evidence away for the day. He would pick back up on it in the morning. "Alexx invited me over for dinner and it is not wise to miss those."

"True," Horatio agreed. Alexx Woods was a force to reckon with when annoyed. "Have a good time and I'll see you in the morning."

&/&/&

Horatio walked out to the Harley with the slight evening breeze teasing his bangs. He slipped on it not bothering to retrieve his helmet from the saddle bag.

The rebellious part of him was secretly grateful that Florida was one of the few states that didn't have a mandatory helmet law. He felt the desire this evening to have the wind whip thru his hair as he rode to the beach to take in another sunset.

&/&/&

Speed watched Horatio drive away with the wind blowing thru his reddish-gold mane. He smiled at the unusual sight, but concluded that one should never make assumptions about a person by outward appearance alone.

"Thanks for the lesson, H," Speed murmured as he slipped onto his bike and made his way to Alexx's.


End file.
